New York Yanks in King Uther's Court
by Zenyetta
Summary: Merlin tries out a new powerful spell, but he can't control it and things go very wrong.


**New York Yanks in King Uther's Court**

Staff Sergeant Pearl Ashby sat in the cab of the Hummer that led the two trucks transporting her squad to the outskirts of a small village near Kuwait City as the afternoon sun blazed in the spring sky. The vehicles followed the dusty track that wound its way through the sands. Her unit was to guard a cache of enemy weapons found in an abandoned house behind the front lines. The members of the Iraqi army had fled as the allied forces drew near.

The flight from Fort Drum in upstate New York a week ago was comfortable and unexciting. It was the thirty-year-old non-com's first trip to the European continent, and so far, the only part of it she's seen was what the commercial plane flew over on its way to landing at Frankfort Airport in Germany. But it was okay with her; she'd get leave in a few months and then she would go to London and explore it to the max. From Germany, they were flown by military transport to Saudi Arabia, then helicoptered to somewhere in the desert, and now trucked to their guard post.

Of Pearl's ten-person unit, Privates Sharon Preston, Ben Ling and Linda Barstow drove the vehicles while the second in command, Corporal Kerwin Masterson, stood in the rear of the Hummer, through its roof ready to fire the fifty caliber machine gun if necessary. The rest of the squad sat in the back of the first truck on benches facing each other as they were bounced along the rough track to their destination. Periodically, an electric cooler was opened and a bottle of iced water was retrieved. The cooler was not standard issue, but it was amazing what one could find for sale in the markets of Riyadh. The second truck carried their packs and extra supplies of food, water, ammunition and other needed items.

Pearl consulted her map as she rode. "Their cache should be about a half mile ahead," she told Private Preston, her driver. "We should be able to see it as we come over this rise."

Merlin strolled into the clearing by a lake just as the sun peeked over the horizon, forming the words to the incantation in his mind. This was a powerful spell, but he could see that his powers and abilities had been increasing since coming to Camelot. He decided to try out the spell here in the open where no one could get hurt should anything go awry, and no one would see, especially Gaius, the Court Physician and mentor.

Standing at the edge of the open space, Merlin faced the widest part of the clearing and prepared himself. This spell was supposed to open a hole into time and space where he would be able to look through and see into the future. If he was successful he would attempt other equally difficult spells. If he failed, he would be content for the present that his gifts weren't as strong as he thought and continue to practice what he'd already learned.

Merlin concentrated, took a deep breath, held up his hand and spoke the incantation. He heard the light breeze rustle the leaves and a fish jump in the lake. He repeated the spell. His blue eyes turned gold and the clearing grew uncommonly silent. A patch of space in front of him, about twenty feet in diameter, seemed to grow indistinct and blurry. Suddenly, the patch cleared and Merlin could see three beasts, strangely huge and roaring, barreling down on him.

A very surprised Merlin found himself standing inches in front of the lead beast and he'd never seen its like before. It had two enormous eyes that seem to have strangely dressed people inside. Then the beast barked madly at him.

"Oh dear," he thought, "this is not good." Merlin took several steps backward, turned and bolted for the horse he left back along the trail in the woods. He mounted in a hurry and urged his mount back to the castle.

"Gaius is going to be so angry," was his main thought and concern as he rode home. "How am I going to tell him?"

As the Hummer crested the rise a large wavy hole suddenly appeared in front of it. The vehicle drove through, closely followed by the two trucks. They all came out into a large clearing by a lake in a forest. Preston stomped on the breaks as soon as she saw the tall, dark haired, teenage boy staring at them open-mouthed in front of the Hummer. The quick reflexes of the other two drivers prevented the trucks from plowing into each other. Pearl, Kerwin and Sharon were thrown forward hard as the vehicle came to a sudden stop. Luckily the seatbelts held them firm and Masterson had braced himself.

"What was that?" Preston said aloud. The young man was standing inches in front of them, still open-mouthed. The petite blond woman automatically banged on the horn. The boy turned and dashed back into the forest down a path just wide enough to get the trucks through. They could hear the hoof beats of his horse as he galloped away.

"Who was that? What is going on here?" Sgt. Ashby asked aloud as she got out of the Hummer.

"Is anyone injured?" Cpl. Masterson shouted to the others. Luckily, all appeared to be well.

"Preston, get me Battalion HQ," the sergeant demanded. "Corporal, send two people up that trail to see what's there in case we have to get out of here in a hurry."

"Sergeant, I can't reach Battalion HQ," Sharon reported. "And I can't get a GPS lock either. The equipment appears to be working, but I'm not getting anything."

Minutes later, the two scouts came running back. "Eleven men are coming down the trail, three on horseback no less," Private Mark Bailey reported.

"Not Iraqis?" she asked.

"Somehow, I don't think so," Private Raj Patel added.

"Preston, Kirby stay with the vehicles," Pearl ordered. "Everybody, let's go meet our guests."

As Merlin neared Camelot, he slowed down to a reasonable pace and tried to look casual. No point in alarming everyone by riding in as if the devil himself was after him. Merlin casually rode into the stables and dismounted. He casually handed the reins to the stable boy and walked across the courtyard to the front door of the castle. He casually greeted the watch and strolled in, then dashed up the stairs to the Court Physician's quarters.

"Ah, Merlin, where have you been this morning?" Gaius asked as Merlin walked in.

"I've been walking down by the lake looking for herbs," Merlin lied.

"Arthur has been looking for you," Gaius said. "He's gone hunting."

"Did he say where?" Merlin asked.

"I think he said he was going to start by the lake, I'm surprised you didn't meet him"

Oh no! "I have to go," Merlin said quickly and scurried out.

Merlin took the stairs two at a time and flew out the front door. He ran to the stables and grabbed the first horse he found saddled. Well, that was the king's horse, so he took the second one. As the Crown Prince's personal body servant, he could do that. Merlin galloped down the main road then down the road towards the lake trail hoping to catch up with Arthur and his knights before the strange beasts caught up with him.

Arthur and his hunting party strolled towards the clearing unawares. It looked to be a fine morning for hunting. The prince had brought two of his knights as personal guards and eight foot soldiers to help flush out and hunt down the game. They were armed with crossbows and swords, and the knights had spears. They hoped to bag a deer or two and a couple of wild boar. The clearing by the lake would be their starting point. Arthur and his knights had left their horses behind, tethered to a tree with a foot soldier to watch them. As they neared the clearing, suddenly, from the brush and trees a voice called out, "Halt! Surrender your weapons, you are surrounded!"

Arthur and his party froze for an instant. Then their constant training kicked in; the knights stepped protectively in front of their prince as the foot soldiers formed a circle around them.

"We do not surrender!" Arthur shouted back. "If you be honest men, show yourselves and fight us in honorable combat."

Corporal Masterson stepped out from his hiding place with his M16 raised. Presently he lowered it. "Who are you?" he asked. "And where is this?"

"I am Prince Arthur Pendragon, son of King Uther Pendragon, and this is the Kingdom of Albion," he replied proudly to the strangely dressed man holding a stick.

"Okay," Masterson said. "So, what continent are we on?"

"What is a 'continent'?" Arthur asked.

"Okay," Masterson replied. "Are we in England?"

"We are Britons if that is what you mean," Arthur told him.

"Okay. So, are you all part of some renaissance faire or medieval festival?"

"We are having no festival or faire. Now, I demand to know who you are," the prince said.

"I am Corporal Kerwin Masterson, Sixth Squad, Fifth Battalion," he answered.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Arthur sneered.

"It means we're not part of a renaissance faire or medieval festival either," said Masterson. "Now, will you lower your weapons?"

"We will not."

"Very well," Masterson said, and with that he fell flat to the ground.

A bomb of smoking gas landed within the circle and released its contents. Arthur and his men holding crossbows released their bolts randomly in the hopes of hitting one of the interlopers, but they were having trouble seeing through the smoke and it was becoming difficult to breath. Overcome, Arthur and his men were falling to their knees. Masterson's fellow soldiers wearing strange masks rushed out and overwhelmed them and took them captive. Arthur felt his arms being pulled behind him and bound. Weakened by his continual coughing, he was unable to resist. When Arthur's lungs and eyes began to clear, he saw that his captors had removed their masks. Their clothing was covered in brown splotches of varying shades as were their helms, and they carried strange stick-like weapons. Arthur's group was disarmed, pulled to their feet and marched to the clearing.

In the clearing, Arthur and his men were sat together with hands bound by strange white cords. Someone had been sent to get their horses and the man was minding them. Two soldiers with the strange weapons guarded them. Arthur began yelling his head off, heralding his princely status, demanding to be released, and threatening everyone with dire consequences if it was not done immediately. When Private Preston had finally had enough, she placed duct tape over his mouth, much to the protests of the others, which earned them pieces of the silvery tape over their mouths.

The two scouts sent ahead reported to Cpl. Masterson over the radio. "We didn't see anyone else on the trail," said Private Winston Miller. "But after about a mile it runs into a much wider road that leads to a big castle and village another mile further on."

"There are guards visible on the walls of the castle; no telling how many are in the village and castle," Private Ben Ling added. "The trail to the lake doesn't look to be as well traveled at the main road.

"Pull back to the conjunction of the lake trail and the road, and stay out of sight," Masterson told them. "If anyone turns towards the lake, let us know."

Masterson reported this to the sergeant and the two of them discussed the situation.

"I don't know what the enemy is playing at, Sergeant, but somehow we're in a setting meant to resemble medieval England," Masterson said.

"But that's ridiculous," Sgt. Ashby insisted. "I can't see how any of this could be to their advantage."

"Nonetheless, here we are."

"Could this be a psychological weapon of some kind? Something meant to disorient us?" Pearl asked.

"I don't think the Iraqis have anything like that. I don't think anyone does."

"Okay, so our next move is to question the prisoners," Pearl said, then saw the odd expression on her second's face. "Something bothering you, Masterson?"

"The boy said he was Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon," replied the 27 year-old corporal.

"Oh, you're not seriously going to tell me that we're also in the Arthurian legend, are you? Besides, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a myth."

"Maybe so, ma'am. But I've got a bad feeling about this."

Corporal Masterson went over to the captives and yanked the tape from Arthur's mouth. "Ow," Arthur said. The tape took some of the few facial hairs the prince was able to grow.

"We have a couple more questions for you, if you don't mind," he said.

"Well, it just so happens that I do mind," Arthur snarled. "You are obviously not a man of honor to use trickery to win the day. Your companions are equally without honor to have such a man as you to lead them."

"Oh, I'm not the leader of this merry band," Masterson smiled. "Sergeant, the prince wants to speak to you."

Pearl came over and crouched down. She removed her helmet and her soft brown eyes smiled at the boy. The black woman kept her hair cornrowed when she was on duty. It made it easy to manage that way and fit neatly under her helmet. Cubic zirconia earring studs rested in her lobes.

"You're a woman!" Arthur gasped wide-eyed.

"Wow, nothing gets by you, young man," she quipped.

"You will address me as 'Your Royal Highness'," he said stiffly.

"I'm Staff Sergeant Pearl Ashby, at your service, Your Royal Highness, but you can call me Pearl."

"You attack Camelot at your own peril for it is well guarded and heavily defended, milady," Arthur told her. "Your puny band of brigands have no hope of succeeding."

"I have no intention of attacking your home. In fact, I plan to avoid it at all costs, if possible. But, you say your father is Uther Pendragon?"

"_King_ Uther Pendragon, yes," he answered.

"And your mother is Igraine?" Pearl asked.

" Yes, but my mother is dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Pearl. "Tell me, does the name Morgan le Fay mean anything to you?"

"Morgana is my father's ward if that's who you mean."

"I see. And is there a Gwnhywyfer?" Pearl asked.

"Yes, she is Morgana's personal maid. Look, have you been spying on our household?" Arthur demanded.

"We haven't been spying, Your Highness, we just got here." Just then a call came through her radio. "Yes?" she said.

"We've caught another prisoner, ma'am," the voice said.

"Okay, bring him in," Pearl ordered. Arthur was staring at her wide-eyed.

"You use magic," he said in astonishment. "You're sorcerers."

"Not magic, Your Highness, just technology." Pearl corrected, but Arthur wasn't listening.

"The king will have your heads for using magic. Such practices are outlawed in Albion. The penalty for sorcery is death."

"Oh, be quiet, Your Royal Highness," she said.

With hands secured, Merlin was marched into the clearing by one of the soldiers.

"Has he said anything?" Pearl asked Private Ling. "No, ma'am, he's been quiet all the way," he replied.

"So, what's your name, boy?" Pearl asked him.

"My name is Merlin, milady," the boy replied.

"Merlin?" a surprised Pearl repeated. "Yes, milady," he said. "I'm the prince's body servant."

"Are you, now?" said the sergeant. "Put him with the others. If he makes trouble, tape him. Corporal, come with me." They walked off a way once again to confer.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?" asked Arthur as his servant sat down beside him.

"I heard you had gone hunting, so I came to help out," Merlin answered.

"And getting yourself captured is helping out?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but they ambushed me," Merlin said.

"Merlin, a drunken ogre stomping through the woods could ambush you," the prince said. Then Arthur started demanding to know when they would be let go. His demanding – loudly and insistently – earned him a fresh piece of duct tape from Private Preston.

Standing away from the captives, Pearl asked, "Masterson, what is going on here? It's the Arthurian legend and it isn't. The characters are here, but their roles are mixed up"

"I have a theory, but it's going to get science-fictiony on you," said Masterson.

"At this point, Corporal, I'm willing to listen to any ideas," she replied.

"Well, I think that not only have we been transported in time and space, but also in dimension."

Pearl started singing the "Twilight Zone" theme.

"I'm sure of it, Sergeant," Masterson continued. "We're in another dimension or timeline where Arthur, his knights, Camelot, the whole nine yards, is real. And I think it was Merlin who brought us here."

"Well, if that's really Merlin the Magician, we've got to be very careful what we say to them," Pearl said. "You heard what Arthur said about the king's ban on using magic. The penalty is death. Somehow, I don't think they know about Merlin."

"And Merlin's supposed to be the biggest, baddest, most powerful magician of all time," Kerwin added.

"Exactly," agreed Pearl, "but I think he's just beginning to test his powers at this point. Remember, our legendary Merlin was an old man when he was the great sorcerer. Here, he's a teenager of, what, nineteen?"

"So, mum's the word, ma'am," said Masterson. "I'll clue in the others."

"Right," Ashby agreed. "We'll camp here for now. Except for two scouts, I don't want anyone going near the castle. The less we interact with these people, the better all 'round."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll get right on it."

Arthur and his knights sat amazed as the strange people set up an equally strange camp. There were things that he was familiar with like the folding chairs, but these seemed to be extremely light in weight and were not made of wood. One soldier unfolded a small grill and placed a small dark brown bar under it. He then pulled out a tube that created fire which he used to set light to the bar. A pot of water was set on the grill and a packet was placed in the pot. Most amazing to them was the huge wagons that roared and moved without being pulled or pushed by horses, oxen or men. Pearl decided to speak to the prince again. Again the tape was yanked from his mouth.

"Ow, I wish you'd stop doing that," Arthur complained.

"Sorry. Your Highness, I'm going to free you and your party," she told him.

"As well you should," he replied. "And when the king hears of this you will all be executed."

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, attacking me is one good reason, but mainly because you are all sorcerers and use magic," Arthur said.

"And where is your evidence?" she asked him.

"Where?" he exclaimed. "It's all around here. This is a camp of magicians."

"I say again, it's not magic, it's technology," she said. "It's science. You have heard of science?"

"Of course I have. Our court physician Gaius delves into science. But this is different. This is magic."

"Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic," Private Preston said behind her.

"You're not helping, Preston," Ashby said over her shoulder.

"How did you come to be here?" he demanded. "What did you hope to find here?"

"I really don't know how we got here," she replied. She wasn't about to tell him about Merlin. "We were in Kuwait, heading for our post when a strange hole in space appeared suddenly in front of us and we drove through, unintentionally, I might add, and we found ourselves here. We hope to find a way home."

"Ah, so sorcery was used, admit it," Arthur said, triumphant. "Where's Kuwait?"

"Kuwait is a country far, far away," she answered. "I agree with you that sorcery was used, but not by us. Before today, I would have said there were no such people as sorcerers. Oh, a person can claim to be anything, but that doesn't really make it so. If someone claims to be a duck, it doesn't mean he truly is a duck no matter how much he quacks."

"True, but I've never seen people like you before," Arthur said.

"I dare say," she said. "I will send you all home as I said, but I want you to take a warning back to the king."

"You are warning us?" Arthur said incredulously. "Who are you to warn us?" he shouted. "This is our kingdom! And the king doesn't take warnings from mere women no matter how strange they may be!"

"Arthur," Pearl said.

"Yes?" he answered roughly.

"Would you like the tape back?" she said.

"What would you have me tell the king, milady?" Arthur asked more calmly.

"Warn your father not attack us," she said. "We have no intention of attacking him, but if we are provoked we will defend ourselves and I don't think you'd win." Arthur and his men bristled at that statement. "Tell the king we mean no harm to him, to you, nor to any of his people," Pearl continued. "We are trying to leave Albion with all possible haste, as soon as we discover how. If King Uther wishes to speak with me, I will be happy to do so under a flag of truce. If he comes here he will be treated respectfully."

"I will tell him, milady," said Arthur.

"I will keep your servant as hostage, but I want you to vouch for his good conduct. You have my word of honor as a soldier of the United States Army he will be treated well. I will let him go when we leave."

"Very well," Arthur said as he got up. "Now, release us." Pearl told one the two guards to cut their bonds and remove the tape. Many facial hairs were lost.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry we've gotten off on the wrong foot," she told them as they rose. "You will find your weapons and horses up the trail."

"Merlin, remember I have given her my word of honor for your good conduct," Arthur said. "Respect her as you respect me. The Lady Pearl has given me her word that you will be treated well and I accept this."

Arthur and his knights mounted their horses. "You will be released in time," Arthur said to Merlin. "So, behave yourself." As the prince and his knights rode off with the soldiers trotting behind, Pearl radioed her scouts to tell them not to interfere.

"Do you think he believed you?" Preston asked her leader. "I doubt it," was the reply.

"He called you 'the Lady Pearl,'" Preston said with blue eyes twinkling.

"He was just being polite," Pearl replied. "Now, Merlin, tell me how you did it?"

"How did I what, milady?" he asked as innocently as he could.

"How did you bring us here?" Pearl said. "I know you did it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Merlin insisted.

"Oh, don't lie to me, boy," Pearl said, "you were the only one in the clearing when we showed up and I know you're a sorcerer."

"I'm not a sorcerer, milady, I don't know any magic."

"Look, I won't tell Arthur or his father if that's what you're worried about," said Pearl. "I heard what the Prince said about use of magic and I don't want to see you killed. But, you have to get us back to our own time and space, Merlin, not to mention dimension. We cannot stay here."

Arthur leapt off his horse and hurried to his father's audience room with his knights in tow. Uther was there having a meeting with his council and his court physician.

"Father, I have much to tell you," Arthur announced. "You may be of help, Gaius"

"Speak, my son, what has happened?" said the king.

"We were surprised on our way to the clearing by the lake by a strange people who used choking smoke to overpower us." The whole council gave out a roar of indignation. The chief councilor had to bang his staff on the floor to regain silence.

"Did you not offer them battle as true knights?" Uther questioned with furrowed brow. "I hope you did not run away."

"No, Father," Arthur replied. "As I said they overpowered us using trickery. We could not see or breathe in the smoke as they ran in and captured us."

"Why were they not also overcome?" Gaius asked.

"A good question, Gaius," the king added.

"They all wore strange masks which obviously protected them from the smoke," Arthur said. "They bound us with strange white bands and put a sticky cloth over our mouths."

"So, how did you escape?" asked Uther.

"She let us go," said Arthur.

" 'She'?" the king repeated in surprise.

"Yes, Father, this group of warriors was led by a woman. Her name is Pearl. I have never seen their like before."

"I see," the king said. "How did they come to be here?"

"The Lady Pearl said she was a member of a group called 'the United States Army' and that they were brought here by magic."

Gaius could almost see the king's face twitch as the word 'magic' was mentioned. Uther absolutely hated magic and anyone who practiced it, even if it was for good, to save a life.

"These people are sorcerers?" Uther asked.

"I believe so, Father," Arthur replied. "Although they say they are not sorcerers, but the victims of magic. They say they use science."

"If they were brought here by magic, then magic will be used to send them back," said Uther.

"That may be so, sire," said Gaius, "but as Arthur said, it may not be they who weld it."

"Nonsense. These soldiers are in league with a sorcerer and were brought here to destroy us," Uther said. "We will capture these strange soldiers and whoever is using magic. And if any of them are guilty, we will execute them. I will not permit sorcery to be practiced in my kingdom. It is against the law."

"As you say, sire," Gaius said.

"I want the guard doubled at the gates and everyone coming in searched. They may try to infiltrate us," the king ordered.

"I doubt that they could sneak in, Father," said Arthur. "They do not dress or act as we do. Besides, they already seem to know our household. If they placed a spy among us, that person is no longer here."

"That is disturbing news. What are their numbers?" asked Uther.

"I counted six men and four women, not counting the Lady Pearl," Arthur replied.

"Women? There are more women among them?" said the king.

"Yes, my lord. They act as warriors, too," said Arthur. "Father, the Lady Pearl warned us not to attack her. She seemed quite confident that we would lose and she would win the day."

"Did she now?" the king said. "This Lady Pearl presumes much."

"Yes, Father," said Arthur. "The Lady Pearl said she is willing to talk to you under a flag of truce, and that you would be treated well."

"And held captive," said Uther. "What weaponry do they possess."

"Apart from the choking smoke, they all carried strange long, stick-like devices that they pointed at us," Arthur said. "I've no idea how they work or the resulting action thereof, but they seemed assured that whatever they did would do us harm."

"Sire, perhaps you should send me to speak with this Pearl," Gaius offered. "If they are using science, I will know. And if they are magicians, I will know that too."

z z z z z

After Arthur and his knights left, good to her word, Merlin was given food and water. "Merlin, walk with me," Pearl said to him. They walked under the trees at the edge of the clearing. "Look, Merlin, I know who you are. I know you are a sorcerer."

"How do you know me, milady?" Merlin asked.

"Merlin, in my world you are famous as the most powerful wizard that ever lived," she told him. "You taught Arthur how to be a king and he became a good king. You used your power for good and for right. You could have easily taken over the kingdom and bent everyone to your will, but you didn't."

"Thank you, milady," Merlin said. "I am grateful to you for telling me." So, the Great Dragon was right, he thought.

"I'm surprised that no one has discovered your sorcery, Merlin," Pearl said.

"Gaius knows about me. He's the court physician and he teaches me some of the magic," Merlin said.

"So why did you bring us here?" Pearl asked.

"I didn't mean to, milady," Merlin replied. "I was trying out a new spell and it sort of got out of hand. I didn't mean to bring you here. It just happened before I could stop it."

"Well, you've got to send us back,' Pearl insisted. "We can't stay here, Merlin. This isn't our time. This isn't our world."

"I'm sorry, milady, truly I am."

"Tell me, Merlin, do you say words when you perform magic or do you just think the words?" Pearl asked him.

"The small things I can do without speaking, but with more powerful spells I have to speak the incantation," Merlin explained.

"Were you born that way or did you learn magic?"

"I was born with strong magic in me, but Gaius gave me a book of magic and I've been studying," he explained. "The spell that brought you here was from the book."

"I see," Pearl said. "Merlin, can you open another window?

"I can try, milady, I can try."

Once again, Merlin concentrated, took a deep breath, held up his hand and spoke the incantation, and again the clearing grew uncommonly silent. A patch of space in front of him, about twenty feet in diameter, seemed to grow indistinct and blurry. Suddenly, the patch cleared and Merlin, Pearl and the rest could see a heavily forested land full of odd looking trees and huge flying insects.

"I don't think that's quite right," said Preston with a smirk. Merlin relaxed and the window closed.

"Where was that?" Masterson asked.

"Several hundred million years ago, I'd say," answered Preston. "Shall we try it again?"

Merlin tried again and this time they saw huge lava flows from several volcanoes rising across a barren and hostile landscape.

"Oh great," Preston said sarcastically. "Now he's a couple billion years ago."

"Try again, Merlin," said Pearl. "And really concentrate hard."

Merlin's brow furrowed as he put more effort into his concentrating on the spell. A third window opened and there was a huge blinding flash that startled everyone. A startled Merlin lost concentration and the window closed.

"Big Bang?" Preston ventured.

By now, Merlin was exhausted. Performing this spell three times in succession had drained him. Pearl sent him to a bedroll for a nap. She'd wake him up in an hour.

z z z z z

As Merlin slept, Pearl got a call on her radio. "We've got company," said Ling. "An old gentleman has turned down the lake trail carrying a white flag."

Gaius came into the camp escorted by one of the scouts. Gaius stood at the opening of the clearing and looked around at the wondrous camp Arthur had described. Three huge wagons were silent in a corner of the clearing. Gaius' scientific curiosity was itching to examine them. Three of the soldiers had strange things in their ears attached to strings that were attached to a small, thin rectangular box. Gaius wasn't sure of its purpose, but it could not have been good for it made them twitch and bob their heads. And as Arthur had reported, there were women here. "Sergeant Ashby," his escort called, and one of the women got up and came over to him.

"Are you the Lady Pearl?" Gaius asked.

"I am," she replied. "And you are?"

"I am Gaius, milady, the court physician and the king's messenger."

"And teacher to Merlin," she added. "Welcome to our camp.

"How is my charge?" Gaius asked.

"Merlin is fine, sir," said Pearl, and she had someone wake him up.

"Hello Gaius," he said quietly as he walked over. "I'm really glad you're here."

"We know that Merlin brought us here," Pearl told Gaius.

"Merlin brought you here?" Gaius said. "I don't know what you mean, milady."

"It's alright, Gaius," Merlin soothed. "They know all about me."

"We knew he was a sorcerer before we got here," said Pearl.

"What have you done, boy?" Gaius was horrified.

"I was here practicing a spell to open a window in time, to see the future and they came through it," Merlin said. "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to see if I was powerful enough to do it."

"But you couldn't control it, am I right?" Gaius asked and the boy nodded. "Merlin, haven't I told you that some spells take years to master."

"Yes, Gaius," Merlin said. "I'm really sorry."

"The question now is, how do you get these people back to where they came from," Gaius said.

"Merlin has been able to open three windows," said Pearl. "They just weren't to our home world. Forcing himself to do this spell seems to tire him greatly after a few tries."

"I'm not surprised. That is a very powerful spell," Gaius said.

"Would you like some refreshments, sir?" Pearl offered the physician. Gaius was brought to a chest made of a material he'd never seen before. When opened, he was amazed to see clear glass bottles sitting in ice. And it was not the winter months. Pearl pulled out a bottle and handed it to him and took one for herself. Gaius had never felt glass like this before – it was flexible! Pearl told him it wasn't glass, but a substance called 'plastic' which the people of her world used to make many things.

The label on the bottle was marked 'water.' Pearl showed him how to twist the covering off the top. Then she took a swallow and he followed suit. It was indeed water, and it was cold and refreshing. Next, Pearl poured him a cup of cold orange juice. He thought it was wonderful! Two folding chairs were brought out and he was offered a seat. The chair was made of metal and cloth and there was a hole with netting in one of the arms in which he could put his bottle of water.

"Are you sorcerers, milady," Gaius asked.

"No, we are not," she answered. "I know some things may look like magic to you but it really isn't. It's simply a more advanced science than you're used to. Would you like some fruit, sir?"

Gaius knew what fruit was, but he'd never seen anything like this. Pearl had set before him, in plastic storage bags, slices of banana, pineapple, and watermelon – New World fruits that Europe would not discover for several centuries hence. Gaius decided that it would make no sense for them to poison him now when they could have killed him earlier, so he popped a bit of banana into his mouth. Its taste and texture were entirely new to him, but very flavorful.

"Now, Gaius, what has King Uther got to say to me?" Pearl asked Gaius.

"King Uther sends his compliments and asks that you present yourselves to him for investigation."

"Investigation?" Pearl repeated. "Of what are we to be investigated?"

"To discover whether or not you are sorcerers."

"He means would you be so kind as to march straight into my dungeon for a spot of torture and other fun and games," said Corporal Masterson who was standing behind Pearl's chair.

Quite probably, Pearl thought. To Gaius she said, "Please return my compliments to His Majesty and kindly tell him that we must regrettably decline his gracious invitation, but we are far too busy…."

"…trying to get the hell out of here," Masterson injected.

"…trying to remove ourselves from his kingdom," Pearl concluded, ignoring the corporal.

"But I would like to send him a gift in friendship. Some fruit and juice." In a leftover plastic shopping bag were placed several separate quart-sized storage bags containing slices of apple, banana, pineapple, and watermelon, and two empty water bottles filled with Tang. Hopefully, Gaius wouldn't notice the difference.

"Merlin, you behave yourself and work on that spell," Gaius told him. "You've got to get these people home before the king does something ill advised."

"Gaius, do you believe we are sorcerers?" Pearl asked.

He thought for a moment. "If you are, I do not think you are dangerous sorcerers," Gaius said as he bowed and was escorted back down the trail.

"Come on, Merlin," Pearl thought to herself. "Pull yourself together, because you've got work to do."

z z z z z

The village was abuzz with talk about the strange newcomers. King Uther ordered everyone to stay away from the lake, but he could not order the rumor mill to stop. As Gaius entered the castle he was waylaid by the Lady Morgana, ward of the king, and her maid Gwen.

"Is Merlin alright, Gaius?" asked Gwen.

"Merlin is fine," Gaius assured them. "The leader of his captors, the Lady Pearl, has kept her word to treat him well."

"People are spreading all sorts of rumors about these strangers," said Gwen. "They are said to have four arms, eat rocks and ride hideous beasts. I don't believe them, of course."

"Hard to believe a woman is leading a group of warriors," said Morgana. "I would love to speak with her, learn about her way of life, how she became a warrior."

"My lady, I strongly advise you not to go into the woods," said Gaius. "You are the king's ward and therefore would make a prized hostage. I beg you not to make this situation any worse."

"Gaius, what are you carrying?" Gwen asked.

"These are gifts for His Majesty from the Lady Pearl. Now, ladies, I must go to the king." Gaius bowed and hurried on his way.

King Uther Pendragon was in his audience chamber with his son and his council. Gaius bowed low as he entered and was invited to sit at the council table.

"Well, Gaius, have you a reply for me?" Uther asked.

"Yes, sire. The Lady Pearl sends her compliments to you and regrets that she and her people are unable to acquiesce to your invitation, given to the fact that they are busy trying to leave your kingdom. However, she has sent these gifts to you in friendship."

Gaius placed the plastic bag on the table and pulled out the storage bags and the bottles.

"What is this?" the king asked his physician.

"There is fruit in the packages, sire," Gaius replied. "Fruit like none I have ever seen and very tasty. The bottles contain orange juice."

"And you have eaten and drunk these things?" Uther asked.

"Yes, sire and am none the worse for it," Gaius replied. "Would anyone like to try some?"

"I will," said Arthur. "No, Arthur," said his father. "It may be a trick. Gaius, have you eaten from this collection of fruit."

"No, I have not," he replied. "But with your permission…" and snacked on a piece of pineapple. The court grew quiet as they waited for Gaius to fall over or turn purple or spout wings or do something horrible, but nothing happened. Gaius ate fruit from each the storage bags and poured himself a cup of 'orange juice' and drank it down.

"You are really missing out on some wonderful flavors, sire," Gaius offered.

Arthur took a piece of pineapple and ate it. "It's delicious, Father," he said, and ate another piece.

Reluctantly, Uther tried a piece of watermelon. He could not afford to be seen as less brave than his son. "It's very sweet and quite juicy," he remarked. "Delightful."

"I'll have some of the juice," Arthur said. He was handed a full cup and tasted it. Wonderful. And drank it down.

"Now that we have partaken of the lady's gifts, what shall we do with these people?" Uther asked the gathering.

"Are they sorcerers, Gaius?" Arthur asked.

"Your highness, I honestly do not know," Gaius answered. "Look at the tools they use like this bottle. They call the substance 'plastic' and it seems that a large number of their belongings are made from it. But they claim these were formed through 'chemistry' not alchemy."

"I've been told they can speak to each other over a great distance through small boxes," said Uther.

"Yes, sire, they call them radios," Gaius explained. "They use science to operate the devices."

"It smacks of sorcery to my mind," said Uther.

"Sire, all they want to do is go home," said Gaius. "They have no quarrel with anyone here, certainly not with you. They just want to go home."

"You seem to be quite taken with them, Gaius," Uther observed. "Take care that this Lady Pearl has not put you under a spell."

"No, sire," the physician replied.

"I will send you back to them with a new message," Uther announced.

z z z z z

Pearl's instincts told her not to trust this King Uther entirely. If he was like the King Uther from their world's Arthurian legend, he was probably preparing to do something foolish. She decided to prepare a defensive posture just in case. The first thing she did was to make sure all her soldiers had night vision goggles. Uther and his warriors probably knew this area like the backs of their hands, and she didn't want anyone to successfully sneak up on them. Next, she had the vehicles in a semi-circle pointing outwards. Their rear was protected by the lake, but Pearl made sure at least one person was watching that too.

While everything was being setup, Pearl had Merlin attempt to open the correct window to their timeline. It was appearing that the window that brought them here was just random luck.

Presently, Pearl's radio spoke. "Sergeant, the old gentleman is back. He's still carrying a white flag."

"Stay where you are and let him through," she replied. "I'm sure he knows his way here."

Minutes later, Gaius walked into the camp. "Gaius, good to see you again," the sergeant said.

"My lady Pearl," he said with a bow. "I have another message from the king." Somehow the gentleman did not look happy to deliver it.

"And that message is….?" she prompted.

"King Uther now demands that you present yourselves before him to answer questions of a serious nature. If you do not come back with me, he will send in troops and you will all be arrested and charged with sorcery."

"And the penalty for sorcery is death, am I right?" Pearl asked.

"Yes, my lady. That is the only penalty for sorcery," said Gaius.

"I'm sure you explained what you saw here. Did you tell him we were sorcerers?"

"I told the king I could not honestly say whether or not you were," Gaius replied. "I'm sorry, my lady, but that was all I could truthfully say."

"That's alright, Gaius. I don't hold it against you," Pearl said. "I'm sure our equipment looks magical to you."

"What will you do, my lady?" he asked.

"Well, we're certainly not going to just blindly walk into his dungeon," Pearl told him. "And if he sends soldiers here to arrest us, they will be hurt, seriously, maybe even killed. I'll have to think of something.

"In the meantime, Gaius, would you like some more fruit and orange juice?"

"Yes, I would, my lady, but you know, the orange juice I had here tasted a bit different to that in the bottles you gave me."

"Different types of oranges, friend," Pearl lied. She hoped her nose wasn't getting longer.

"How has Merlin been doing with the spell, my lady?" he asked.

"He's been trying, he really has," Pearl said, "but so far no luck finding our window. But it's been interesting."

"I'll say," said Masterson. "Did you see the size of that T. Rex?" he asked Preston.

"Personally, I preferred the future view," Preston answered. "It's good to know that we're finally going to get flying cars in a couple hundred years."

T. Rex? Flying cars? This was madness, Gaius thought. And yet, they didn't seem to be dangerous and violent people, ready to destroy the kingdom.

"Here he is," said Pearl. The young wizard came trotting over carrying his folding chair.

"Hi Gaius," he said brightly. "I'm glad you're back." Merlin said down, reached into the chest to get a bottle, twisted off the cap and sat down as if he been doing this all his life.

"Enjoying yourself, are you?" Gaius asked.

"Oh, yes, Gaius," he replied. "These people are amazing. I've been talking with Lady Henrietta Stanley about the possibility of making oneself disappear from one place and reappear in another. 'Apparating' she called it."

"Has she now?" said an exasperated Pearl. "My Lady Henrietta, a word, if you please." Private Preston walked over with a rather mischievous smile on her face.

"Yes, ma'am?" she said innocently.

"I will thank you to leave your Society activities out of this, Private," Pearl told her. "And that goes for the Potter stuff too. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," she replied with a salute.

"What are you going to do about the king, my lady?" Gaius asked again.

"Prepare for an attack, certainly, and try not to kill anyone in the process," she replied.

"And what shall I tell His Majesty?"

"Tell him to get stuffed," said Preston.

"You're still not helping, Private," Pearl said. "Tell King Uther no thank you and to have a nice day."

"Very well, my lady," Gaius said. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Oh Gaius, a question before you go," Pearl said. "In our tales of Merlin and Arthur, there was a witch called Nimue. Is she here also?"

"Nimue is dead, my lady," Gaius said. "Merlin killed her to save my life."

"Wow!" Pearl exclaimed. Nimue was the one who was supposed to have killed Merlin, Pearl thought.

"Good day, my Lady Pearl," Gaius said. He bowed to her and left the camp.

"Okay, Merlin," Pearl said. "You've _got_ to get us out of here."

z z z z z

Gaius reported the results of this last meeting to King Uther who was not the least bit happy with Pearl's answer.

" 'Have a nice day', indeed," Uther said with contempt. "I'll show her a nice day. Arthur, I want you to take your knights prepare for a night attack. These people are new to the area. They will not be familiar with the surroundings. You, on the other hand have played in those woods since childhood. It will be a simple task for you and your men to take them unawares."

"Yes, Father," said Arthur.

"Sire, the Lady Pearl has anticipated an attack from you and is ready for it," warned Gaius.

"That my be," said the king. "But they do not know the lay of the land as we do. They will be taken."

"If I remember the celestial charts, Sire, there's no moon tonight," Gaius added.

"Even better," Arthur said cheerfully. "They won't be able to see us." He bowed and left to prepare his knights.

z z z z z

As night fell and the squad prepared themselves for a night attack, Pearl had a serious talk with Merlin.

"Will Arthur be leading them?" she asked.

"Yes, my lady. And Arthur will most certainly have all of his knights with him," Merlin replied.

"Merlin, we're going to do our very best to capture our attackers without doing serious harm to them," she explained.

"My lady, these are highly trained, highly skilled fighters. And they know the area, they'll be upon you before you know it."

"We'll see," she said. "Merlin, I'm going to have to restrain you during the attack," she told him.

"But why, I'm promised I wouldn't do anything wrong," he pleaded.

"No, you don't understand," said Pearl. "You're the prince's personal servant. If you don't try to warn him, he might wonder why. If he sees you tied up and gagged, he'll know why." Merlin nodded in understanding.

The darkness filled the forest. It hung in the trees and wove itself in between the bushes. Animal noises were heard beyond the trees. Privates Linda Barstow and Kenisha Johnson were concealed at the conjunction of the road and the trail with branches and bushes lying in a shallow foxhole. With night goggles on, the two women saw foxes, deer, badgers, and rabbits pass by. They munched on energy bars with sips of water, as they waited for their guests to arrive. As their synchronized watches reached 12:49pm, they heard footsteps. The night vision goggles allowed them to see the creeping knights as if in daylight. They were amazed at how quiet the men were with all the armor and chainmail they wore. They came down the road, twenty strong, and spread out, then started into the forest towards the lake. They would come upon the camp in a broad line.

"They're on their way, Sergeant," Barstow said into her radio. "I count twenty."

Arthur and his knights crept forward until they reached the edge of the forest at the clearing. The camp was quiet. No sentries either, very lax, Arthur thought. They crept quietly out of the trees and into the clearing. He raised his arm to give the signal to charge and suddenly the whole clearing lit up with blinding light. Their night vision was wrecked. They could not see.

z z z z z

"They're on their way, Sergeant," Barstow said into her radio. "I count twenty."

"Look sharp, everyone," Pearl radioed the rest of her troops. "Goggles on, but look away until the lights go out."

Pearl scanned the edge of the clearing with her goggles. She could plainly see the men approaching. Slowly, they came out from the trees into the open. One began to raise his arm. That had to be Arthur. Before he could bring his arm down, Pearl called out, "NOW!" She closed her eyes as Miller, Kirby and Patel turned on the "brights" of the three vehicles. After a few seconds, Pearl called out, "OFF AND IN!" The headlights went out and Mark Bailey and Ben Ling rushed the blinded Arthur and knocked him off his feet. They quickly disarmed him and held him securely. The other knights were swinging their swords wildly, trying to make contact with the enemy.

"LIGHTS!" Pearl called out. Miller, Kirby and Patel turned on the regular headlights. "Knights of Camelot, hold!" Pearl shouted to them. "We have captured Arthur! Drop your weapons!" As the vision of the knights adjusted, they saw that their leader was on his face and his hands were being secured behind him. Their strange weapons were pointed at his head, but they now sported pointy blades. The knights may not have known what guns were, but they certainly recognized sharp pointy blades.

"No! Fight on!" Arthur yelled. And tape was immediately put over his mouth.

"Fight on and you lose a once and future king," said Pearl.

"Very good, ma'am," Preston commented. "I thought so," Pearl replied.

"We cannot allow that, my lord," said the knight who was Arthur's second in command. "You are too valuable." And they dropped their swords.

"Okay, now that we're all friends again, I'll ask you gentlemen to be face down on the ground," said Pearl.

As the knights were having their hands bound, Pearl pulled Arthur up into sitting position and yanked the tape off his mouth.

"Ow!" he said. "That is really beginning to annoy me."

"Your father is really beginning to annoy me," Pearl said. "I warned him not to attack us." With a sigh, Pearl said, "All we want to do is get out of here, why can't he understand that?"

"And how many of your kind will you bring back with you to destroy Camelot?" he asked.

"What?" Pearl exclaimed.

"Don't deny it!" Arthur yelled. "You sorcerers want to bring magic back to this kingdom and destroy it!"

"I don't give a damn about your kingdom, boy! I wouldn't live here if you paid me!" Pearl yelled back.

"Where's Merlin?" Arthur demanded. Merlin was brought out from behind a truck with his hands bound and his mouth taped. Unknown to Arthur, his servant had put the tape his mouth on himself.

"Are you alright?" Arthur called to him and Merlin nodded. Then to Pearl, he asked, "What will you do with us now?"

"You stay here with Merlin, my lord," Pearl said. "I'm taking your knights back to Camelot tomorrow morning. It seems your father and I need to have a bit of a chin wag."

z z z z z

The following morning, the village and castle of Camelot were treated to a strange sight. Marching up the road came the knights, with hands bound and unarmed. Bringing up the rear was the strangest wagon they'd ever seen – the Hummer. Pearl was at the wheel and Sharon Preston was manning the machine gun. The soldiers at the village gate fled in terror as the vehicle roared up the road. There was panic in the village and people ran here and there trying to find cover. The guards at the castle gate were only slightly braver. They at least hid until the Hummer passed through, then quickly shut the huge portcullis, then fled again. Pearl pulled into the castle's courtyard, stepped out of the now idling Hummer and honked the horn. Presently, Uther, Gaius and several guards with crossbows appeared on a balcony above her.

"Hello. I'm Staff Sergeant Pearl Ashby," she announced.

"I am Uther Pendragon, King of Albion," he returned.

"Pleased to meet you," Pearl replied. "Hi Gaius. Good to see you again."

"Where is my son, Arthur?"

"He's just fine, Your Majesty," she told him. "He's cooling his heels back at camp. But I've returned your knights."

"I demand that he be released," the king said.

"I bet you do," Pearl replied. "Not gonna happen."

"Then you will suffer the consequences. Arrest them," the king ordered.

"I wouldn't try that," Pearl said. "We are armed, you know."

"Armed? I see no arms," Uther said with contempt. "I see two women waving sticks around. These are weapons?"

"They are," Pearl replied.

"And yet, no one has seen them work," Uther pointed out. "How do we know they work? How do we know they are even weapons."

"Sharon, take out a gargoyle," Pearl ordered.

Preston swung the machine gun up to a large stone gargoyle sticking out the side of one of the castle's turrets. The knights threw themselves flat on the ground as Sharon opened up, as did Uther, Gaius and the guards on the balcony. Those villagers who were brave enough and/or curious enough to peer through the portcullis into the courtyard, ran for their lives. Instead of aiming for the base to bring the statue down, Sharon started with the lips and whittled it down. She ceased firing when there was nothing left of the gargoyle. The resulting silence was deafening.

Uther peered cautiously over the stone railing. Regaining his confidence and dignity, he stood up.

"Any questions?" Pearl asked.

"Impressive, my lady," the king remarked, trying desperately to sound nonchalant.

"We think so," Pearl said.

"And yet you insist that you are not sorcerers."

"That wasn't sorcery, Your Majesty. That was science. Big difference."

"What do you want here?" Uther asked. "Why are you here and who sent you?"

"For the umpteenth time, we don't want anything here" Pearl said. "You have nothing we could possibly want."

"I don't know, Sarge, the one on the left is kinda cute," Sharon said looking up at the king's bodyguard standing beside him on the balcony. The man actually blushed.

"Preston, would you like latrine duty for the rest of this tour?" Pearl asked her.

"Sorry."

"As I was saying, we don't want anything from you," Pearl said to Uther. "All we want is to go home. We don't know why we are here and we don't know who brought us." Well, that part was a lie, but Uther couldn't find out about Merlin. She saw Gaius' mouth form a slight grin though.

"Then return my son and get you gone!" the king demanded.

"I think I'll hold on to the prince, Your Majesty, as a guarantee for your good behavior," she told him.

"Now you threaten to kill my son!" the king shouted.

"Nah, we won't kill him," Sharon shouted back. "We'll take him back with us."

"Good idea, Preston," Pearl told her. "Well, Your Majesty, will you now leave us alone?" she asked him.

"You leave me no choice," Uther said dejectedly. He had been totally thwarted by two women in front of his people.

"Good," said Pearl. "Now, open the gate or do we have to bring it down?" In eager anticipation, Sharon reached down into the Hummer and brought up her rifle and stuck a grenade into the grenade launcher part of the M16.

"Raise the gate," Uther ordered. "Let them leave in peace."

"Stand down, Private," said Pearl.

"Awwwww," answered Sharon.

"Oh, we brought your knights' weapons back too," Pearl said and tossed a bundle of swords and knives out of the Hummer. The people of Camelot flinched as Pearl gunned the engine and drove out of the courtyard, through the village and back to camp.

z z z z z

"How'd it go?" Corporal Masterson asked his commander when she got out of the Hummer.

"Oh, it was fun," Private Sharon Preston said brightly. "I got to shoot up a gargoyle."

"Thank you, Private, see to your equipment," Pearl told her. "I think Uther has finally gotten the message, Masterson. We had to scare the crap out of them first, but Uther won't be bothering us anymore."

"Great," he said. "Now what?"

"Well now, we get Merlin cracking on that spell," Pearl said. "I want Arthur blindfolded and moved to a secured site so he won't hear or see any of Merlin's magic. How's he doing, by the way?"

"Arthur is sulking but quiet. He's been fed, watered and gone to the potty," Masterson reported. "Merlin, on the other hand, is going to eat us out of fruit and Tang. He's drunk all of the orange juice,"

Before Arthur was taken away, Pearl spoke to him. "Arthur, how did your mother die?"

"I was told she died at my birthing, if you must know," he replied. "Why?"

"I would have liked to have met her," Pearl said.

The prince was taped again, blindfolded and taken away from the camp by Privates Tova Stahl and Raji Patel. When this was done, Pearl had Merlin opening more windows. He certainly was getting the hang of the spell, but couldn't control its placement. Windows to wrong places kept appearing – Rome, the future, World War I, the Battle of New Orleans. Pearl noticed that the young wizard needed less time to recover after a succession of openings. His body was getting used to the spell and he was gaining stamina.

Shortly after mid-morning, Pearl got a call from her scouts. "Gaius is back. No truce flag this time," reported Johnson. "Let him through," said Pearl.

"You're getting to be a regular visitor here, Gaius," Pearl said to him when he arrived. "What has King Uther got to say now?"

"The king doesn't know I'm here, my lady," the physician replied. "I've come to help. Where is the prince?" he asked when he didn't see Arthur in the camp.

"I have him under guard at an undisclosed location, so Merlin can work his magic," she said. Then, "Gaius, when did King Uther ban magic in the kingdom?"

"Twenty years ago, my lady," he answered. "Many have died since then."

"I see. Well, I have no intention of being included in his vendetta," Pearl said.

"How is Merlin doing?"

"He has no problem opening windows, it's just that they're to the wrong place. We could be here for weeks," Pearl said.

"Well, that's not good," said Gaius. "I'll have a talk with him."

z z z z z

"Those women were amazing," the Lady Morgana said as she brushed her raven hair.

"Yes, they were," her maid Gwen replied as she put away some of her mistress' freshly laundered clothes. "But they still destroyed the gargoyle."

"True, but they could have just as easily killed the king and his guard, but they didn't. I doubt Uther would have done that in the same situation."

"I dare say, my lady," Gwen agreed. "Still, it was embarrassing for the king."

"Serves him right for being such a bully," said Morgana. "Gwen, I've got to speak with the Lady Pearl."

"No, my lady. It's far too dangerous," Gwen said horrified.

"I don't think so, Gwen. Besides, I believe them."

"You believe what, my lady?"

"I believe that they are not sorcerers and they don't want to harm us, and I believe they just want to go home."

"I still say it's too dangerous to go there, my lady" said Gwen. "You know King Uther ordered everyone to stay away."

"Who said anything about telling the king?" said Morgana.

"My lady, someone might be suspicious if we're seen riding out."

"Then we'll just go for a walk. Now get out my traveling cloak."

z z z z z

Merlin sat in a folding chair with his eyes closed and rubbing his temples. "Don't be discouraged, Merlin," Gaius said. "You're doing fine."

"Oh, Gaius, I'm so sorry to have caused this," Merlin moaned.

"I know, Merlin," Gaius said. "Nonetheless, I'm still amazed that you're able to do it at all with so little training. You are going to be a very powerful sorcerer when you get older."

"I know. The Lady Pearl said even in her world I'm known as a powerful wizard. I certainly don't feel like a powerful wizard. I have such a headache."

"My Lady Pearl," Gaius called. "Do your people have a remedy for headache?"

"Sure do," she replied and rummaged in the first aid kit. Then she brought over two pills and a bottle of water. "Here, swallow these," she said.

"What is it," Gaius asked.

"It's a substance called 'aspirin' and it'll help ease the pain," she said as Merlin downed the tablets. "Rest a while and let the pills do it's work."

z z z z z

"Sarge," said scout Kenisha Johnson's voice out of Pearl's radio. "Two women heading for the lake. Awww, they're carrying white hankies."

"Heads up, people, we've got more company," Pearl called out to her troops. "Merlin, Gaius, look innocent."

Presently, the Lady Morgana and Gwen walked into the clearing holding up their white hankies. They were surprised to see the court physician standing with Merlin. Corporal Masterson gestured for them to come forward. They first went over to their friends.

"It seems neither of us has heeded the king's command," said Morgana. "Gaius, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I might ask you the same question, my lady," he replied. "Here comes the Lady Pearl."

"My Lady Pearl," Morgana said to the woman in speckled brown clothing. "This is my maid, Gwen." Gwen curtsied.

"My Lady Morgana," Pearl replied and nodded to Gwen. "Welcome to our camp. Somebody bring over some chairs," Pearl called out and three folding chairs were set up for them. "Now, ladies, why are you here?"

"I wanted to speak with you," Morgana answered. "I've heard so many rumors about you, I had to see for myself. Are you truly warriors?"

"Yes, all of us are. We are part of the United States Army."

"Have women always been fighters in your world?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, but most of the time unofficially. They had to disguise themselves as men and joined the army illegally," Pearl said.

"And the men, they have no trouble taking orders from you?" Morgana asked.

"Kirby, over here a moment," Pearl called. Carl Kirby came trotting over. He was the biggest man the women had ever seen. Well over six feet, and very muscular.

"Sarge?" asked the 21 year-old private.

"These ladies would like to know if you resent me, a woman, giving you, a man, orders."

Carl looked at the sergeant then at the visitors as if this was the dumbest question he'd ever heard. "No, ma'am, I don't," he said. "You're my commander and that's that."

"As you were, Kirby," Pearl said and the private went back to his post. "You see, women are not held back in our world. If the person can do the job, the person gets the job. The sex of the person doesn't matter."

Well, that wasn't entirely true, Pearl thought, but there was no point in getting to 'women's rights' and 'equal pay for equal work' and the fact that in some parts of her world women were still virtually kept barefoot and pregnant.

"But what about your husbands and children?" Morgana asked.

"Those women with families make do. Either their husbands look after the children or other relatives do," Pearl explained. "Or sometimes, the husband may also be in the service of his country." The sergeant pointed to one of the other women. "Private Linda Barstow's husband is in the Navy, sailing the seas." No need to explain he served on a submarine.

"What do women do if they are not warriors," Gwen asked.

"Anything they want," Pearl replied, rather proudly. "They are doctors, lawyers, scientists, administrators, carpenters, bakers, vintners, seamstresses, maids, singers, actors, musicians, teachers, farmers, land owners, bankers, chemists – what you might call alchemists. They also marry and have babies and keep house, but it is their choice."

"Sounds wonderful," Morgana said. "I think I would be a land owner, and hold land in my own right with no man to tell me what to do with it."

"In my world women hold land in their own names, sign contracts with their own hands, and operate businesses in their own rights," Pearl said.

"When you leave," Morgana said tentatively, "would you take me with you?"

"My lady!" Gwen exclaimed. "You can't leave. You are the king's ward, you are to marry Arthur when he becomes king."

"I would become Queen of Albion and Arthur's wife, expected to be pure and virtuous," said Morgana, "with no opinions and no duties other than running the household and squeezing out a babe every year."

"And is that so bad, my Lady?" Gwen asked.

"I want to do more, Gwen," Morgana said. "I want to be somebody, not just Arthur's wife."

"Then be somebody," Pearl said. "Does Arthur know how you feel?"

"No, but he's his father's son. Pigheaded and arrogant," she answered.

"Maybe you should talk to Arthur," Pearl suggested. "Take him somewhere alone, somewhere quiet and away from the castle. Maybe you should tell him exactly how you feel, what you expect from him as a husband, and what he can expect from you as a wife."

"But what if he won't listen?" Morgana said. "What if he just brushes it off?"

"Well, then you'll know," Pearl answered.

"I'll know what?"

"That will be for you to decide, my lady," said Pearl.

"I will do as you suggest, my Lady Pearl," Morgana said. "May I see Arthur?"

"You can't talk to him now," said Gwen.

"Of course not," replied Morgana. "I just want to see for myself that he is well."

"You may see him for a moment," Pearl said, "then you must leave. Patel," she said into the radio, "Return to camp."

Seconds later, Pearl got a call from one of the scouts. "Two men are heading for the lake under a flag of truce."

"Geeze, it's worst than Times Square here," Pearl said. "Heads up, more company," she warned her squad.

z z z z z

Presently, King Uther Pendragon and one bodyguard carrying the flag walked into camp, and saw Gaius, Morgana and Gwen standing together.

"Am I not to be obeyed by my own people?" he said angrily.

"Sire, I only sought to help the situation," said Gaius. "To see nothing happens to Prince Arthur."

"I thought I could reason with their leader, Uther, woman to woman," said Morgana. "Here she comes."

"My Lady Pearl," he greeted her.

"Well, this is a surprise," Pearl said. "Why is your majesty here?"

"I've come to make a deal. Take me and release my son."

"That's a very courageous offer, your majesty," Pearl said, "but I think I'll keep things the way they are. I will not release your son until we leave and if you try anything nasty, I'll take him with us."

"Why hold a prince when you can have the monarch?" he asked.

"Because in this situation, the prince is worth more than the monarch," Pearl replied. "Besides, I don't trust you."

"May I see my son?" Uther asked.

"No, but the Lady Morgana may," Pearl said. Private Patel had returned to camp by then. He escorted Morgana to Arthur.

"Hey Sarge," Masterson said to Pearl quietly. "We've got the prince and his servant, the king and his servant, Morgana and her servant and the court physician. We could bring the whole court back with us."

"Don't tempt me," Pearl replied with a smile. "If Uther thinks we're sorcerers, guess what he'd make of the twentieth century."

"We've got to get these people out of here so Merlin can work his magic," Pearl said. "I don't want the whole village showing up out of curiosity."

The guests were offered fruit and juice as they waited for Morgana's return.

"Your majesty, may I have a word with you in private?" Pearl asked. They walked to a short distance to the lake shore.

"I know why you hate magic. I've worked it out," Pearl said.

"I hate magic because it almost destroyed the kingdom," Uther said. "Sorcerers were using magic to create chaos throughout the land. I put an end to it."

"That may be, but I think the real reason was because it caused the death of your wife, Igraine." Uther went white.

"How do you know that? Who told you?" Uther asked, panicked.

"No one," answered Pearl. "I just put a few pieces together. The Pendragons are known in our world too. I think Igraine was unable to get pregnant or the babies would be born dead or lived only a short time. Anyway, you used sorcery or got someone, I don't know who, to use sorcery to allow her to conceive a healthy living child. But she died in the process. You blamed magic for her death and you've been on a witch hunt ever since. What's more, I don't think Arthur knows."

Uther had listened in shock and horror. It was his greatest secret and this strange woman had sussed it out. It took a minute for Uther to regain his composure.

"What will you do?" he asked shakily.

"If you attack us again or try to release Arthur, I won't take him away from you, but I will tell him the truth. I will put such doubts in his mind that he will _hound_ you for an answer. Have you got that?" Uther merely nodded.

"Fine, now shall we go back?"

Ten minutes later, Private Patel returned with Morgana.

"How is he?" Uther asked.

"Arthur is well, sire," she answered. "They have him secured to a tree, but he is in no discomfort."

"Your majesty, I'm going to have to ask you, your bodyguard, your ward and her maid to leave us," Pearl said.

"You're keeping Gaius?" Uther said.

"He's a physician. What if Arthur should become ill? None of us knows medicine."

"Very well," said Uther. "Let us return. Morgana, I will speak with you privately."

z z z z z

After the scouts reported that the group had indeed left, Merlin began opening more windows.

An hour later, Merlin had to take a break. "Well, he's certainly getting closer," said Preston. "That last window was definitely the Korean War."

"Merlin, can you read minds?" Pearl asked.

"I don't know," he said as he drank his third glass of Tang. "I've never tried. Why?"

"I have an idea," Pearl said. "Maybe if you could read my thoughts, maybe I could send you a picture of the place we where at which will help you open the right window."

"Gaius, what do you think," Merlin asked.

"It may be possible, I don't really know," he said. "But, my lady, you may be putting yourself in danger. Merlin is using a powerful spell."

"I'm willing to chance it," said Pearl.

"Sounds like a plan," said Preston.

Merlin and Pearl stood side by side in the clearing. Everyone was silent so as not to distract them. Pearl did her best to concentrate on what she had seen as she approached her destination; the isolated house, the damaged wall surrounding the property, the color of the bricks in the wall.

After a minute or two, Merlin said, "I'm not getting anything, my lady. Maybe we need to touch." Merlin held out his hand and she took it. It worked. Merlin saw a desert landscape with a lonely house in the distance. It had a flat roof and no glass in the windows. The wall surrounding it was brick and was damaged in places.

Merlin held up his other hand and incanted the spell. A window appeared opening onto a desert landscape with an isolated house in the distance.

"That's it!" Preston shouted and almost broke Merlin's concentration.

"Sorry," she said.

"Merlin, can you hold it?" Pearl asked him.

"Yes, my lady, I can," he answered. "It's not difficult now."

"Okay, people mount up," Pearl ordered. Things were hastily picked up and thrown into one of the trucks and Pearl called in her two scouts.

Sharon Preston gave Gaius a jar of Tang. "This is what you've been drinking," she told him. "Mix a couple of spoonfuls in a jug of water until you get the taste you like." She kissed him on the cheek and ran to the Hummer and started it up.

"Gaius, it's been a pleasure," said Corporal Kerwin Masterson and shook his hand, then ran to the Hummer also.

"Gaius, here's a knife to free Arthur," Pearl said. "Look after him, he'll be a great king. And look after Merlin. He'll be a great wizard. You know, I'm gonna miss you."

"Take care of yourselves, my lady," Gaius said. And went to free Arthur. He passed Stahl and Patel heading back to camp.

"I've taken the tape off," Tova said to Gaius. "You'll have no trouble hearing him yelling."

When everyone was ready the vehicles were revved up and pulled into a line. The Hummer pulled up along side Merlin as he held the window open.

"Thank you, Merlin," Pearl said out the Hummer's window. "I hope you become the man the legends say you will."

"Thank you, Pearl," said Merlin. "Thank you for having so much confidence in me."

The vehicles gunned their engines and drove into the window. When they were through Merlin closed it. The clearing grew strangely quiet. The young wizard could hear the wind in the trees and the fish jump in the lake.

Arthur and Gaius found Merlin standing alone in the clearing. "Merlin," Arthur called. "How did they leave?"

Merlin realized he had to lie to the prince. He didn't want to die and Pearl was unreachable now. "They used magic, my lord," he said. "They were sorcerers after all."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about them now," Gaius observed.

"I suppose not," Arthur agreed. "Well, let's go home. Merlin, when we get back, I want you to polish my saddle and boots, and make sure my horse is washed and brushed," Arthur ordered. "I'm riding out with Morgana tomorrow. She wants to have a picnic and talk to me."

**THE END**


End file.
